It could all be true. I've never heard of this one but it might be. I do have to question anyone that claims to know a lot about the car but still spells it 'Frazier.'
Fid and Mr. Manhattan:
This car has been on the forum many times. I posted the latest one about 6 weeks ago, same ad. Jack M. has commented on this car several times. The seller has even come on the forum and placed a for sale ad, but it is now several years old.
The 1st time I posted the craigs list link I failed to include cut/paste of the contact information and it was 'lost.' This last time I posted - 6 weeks ago - I included all the contact information in the forum post for posterity, so we as a group have it.
I would love to own the car. The seller is eccentric. It's probably not fair to write such a personal comment, but he is a bit reclusive, does not often answer phone calls or emails, doesn't budge on price despite (I guess) a desire to move the car out of his ownership.
He has adjusted the ad content from time to time, and has often cited KFOCI in his ads. The CL ads drop off, the car is "lost" and then it pops back up. It's a true 999 / 888 Dragon set up as one of the 6 Chicago show cars.
He now states it is a special order copy. He used to state it was one of the 6. I think it is probably one of the top 10 collectible Kaiser Frazers out there, that needs restored. It's in the rare group of factory convertibles, 1st generation Virginians, 1955 Kaisers and other Dragons for rarity and desirability.
I could have purchased it 2 or 3 times in the past 6 years as I sold cars to create seed money and remembered the car, but timing was part of it, the seller doesn't seem to want to budge off the $3000 price, and / or does not answer inquiries into the car.
As far as I know - he has not tried ebay. I think with the strong bidding that Dragons get on ebay, this car might sell for $3000 on ebay, IF the seller ran a good auction with plenty of photos and details.
He doesn't seem to want to do that. As far as I know, the seller is NOT a KFOCI member. If anyone knows him better then I do, it would be nice to hear some details about him. He has owned the car for several years now.
It would be a fantastic car to restore, a lot of fun, especially with documentation. It's a testimony to the "cheapness" of the KF crowd that the car languishes in southern Illinois without someone grabbing it. If it were most other makes, then it would be sold a long time ago and a restoration would be well under way or completed.
Equally as rare Pontiacs, Chevies, Fords, Lincolns, etc would never last as long as this car has, for sale.
The question is 'why' and is $3000 still too much. I see both sides of the coin. You should be able to get a Dragon project, needing a $60,000 + restoration for the same price as a 53 Manhattan, at about $1500 (this assumes a non running car, with rust, needing everything).
But no other Dragon is possibly so equipped as this one, that is left anyway. It was build to replicate the Chicago show cars, and it seems the brown leather seats are savable, and those factory wire rims are uber rare alone. (You can get reproductions)
So maybe $3000 is technically reasonable. If the car received an honest $75,000 restoration and was shown in KFOCI and AACA events, at some point winning high scoring awards, it should bring a fair amount of satisfaction AND be sellable up to $30,000 if the restoration / refreshment is of great quality.
But more importantly, a super rare AND desirable piece of KF history would be preserved for the ages. As it sits now, it is precariously close to abandonment.
I think it desperately needs a new owner, whether the new owner can afford such a breathtaking restoration or not, may not be the point. If the Mona Lisa needed restoration, would you rather it be preserved in a decent museum, or sit in the corner of a non temperature regulated garage?
